God Bless You This Memorial Day

Today we remember all those who died while serving in our country's armed forces. Enjoy these thoughts from our contributing authors. And please, share your thoughts, memories and experiences with us in the comments! God bless you all this Memorial Day! ~ Jill Kemerer, today's moderator

Photo courtesy of Unsplash. No attribution required, but thank you to Jp Valery for sharing your talents.

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A ‘thank you’ never seems enough to say. Your sacrifices bless me today, and will continue to bless me and many others forever. ~ Katy Lee 

Today, I’m remembering with heartfelt gratitude our

military heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice so this great

country of ours could remain "the land of the free and the home

of the brave." 

Wishing abundant blessings to our entire blog community on this

special day of commemoration and sending a huge shout out to all

those in uniform. Thank you for your service to our country. God

bless you and God bless the USA! ~ Debby Giusti

  

Memorial Day is a time we take to honor and remember the people who have died in service of our country. I want to thank every one who has but especially my brother, father and father-in-law. You all are special to me. Without our veterans, we would not have the freedom we have in the United States. Thank you. ~ Margaret Daley

I am ever grateful to those who gave their lives for our freedom. May we never forget their sacrifice. ~ Louise M. Gouge 

Thank you, Louise M. Gouge, for sharing this photo of W. D. Jacobs, U. S. Navy, c. 1919. (All rights belong to Louise M. Gouge.)

God bless our country and all who serve. Freedom is paid for with the price of blood and I hope we never forget the sacrifice our armed service and their families have paid so that we can live free. ~ Leigh Bale

  

Many blessings to our military, both past and present, especially those who lost their lives so that we could be free. And a special shout out to the wives, mothers, siblings and other support, without whom our military couldn't be what it is. ~ Deb Kastner

To everyone who has served in the military. There's no way we can ever repay you for all that you've done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ~ Mary Alford

I send my deepest thanks to those who have served our country in peace time and war time. I thank their families and the sacrifice they have made to keep our country safe and secure. May God bless them. ~ Merrillee Whren

Thank you, Merrillee Whren, for sharing this beautiful photo of your parents. They were married while her father served in the army during WWII. (Photo courtesy of Merrillee Whren.)

As we remember our loved ones who are no longer with us, let us not forget that we are immensely blessed to live in a country where fellow citizens are willing to put their lives on the line to maintain our safety and freedom. Be they military, law enforcement, firemen or emergency personnel, may their sacrifices never be forgotten. ~ Arlene James

  

On this day we remember those honorable men and women who have sacrificed so much to serve our country. You and your families have my deepest respect today and always. ~ Laura Scott

May we honor those who’ve sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our country. May the Lord bless those serving now and in the future. ~ Terri Reed

Thank you, to all the men, women, and their families who have made sacrifices to serve our great country. May the blessings of the Lord overtake you. Blessings. ~ Christina Rich

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Do you have a Memorial Day greeting or story to share? We'd love to hear it!

Memorial Day Memories

Today we honor and remember those who've died while serving this country.  
Thank you for giving your life for our freedom.

We all know that Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor American military members who have died, whether in battle or after returning home. (Veterans' Day, November 11, honors the living who have served.) We also know that without our brave military, from the Minutemen of the American Revolution to the Navy Seals of today, we would not have great nation that is the United States, a beacon of freedom to the entire world. So this weekend let's be sure to take time and remember and honor those who have died. But don't mourn these fallen military men and women.

Thank God that such heroes lived.

Here's a picture of my father, William Douglas Jacobs, who served in the U. S. Navy at the end of World War I and in the Merchant Marines during World War II. Born in 1903, he died in 1990, and his ashes were scattered on Puget Sound by the Navy. I still miss you, Dad. You weren't just brave in the Navy, you were brave all through life. Louise M. (Jacobs) Gouge

 Both parents were in the Army, medical corp during Korean War. Mom 2nd Lt., Dad a private.  From Leann Harris

Celebrating Memorial Day

Let's celebrate our veterans and the men and women currently serving in the armed forces.

We have our flag out. But my family and I (Jean C. Gordon) aren't up to much else. While I'm having lunch with a writer friend, my husband is going to drop in at our son's for a swim in the pool at his condo complex. Then, maybe our son-in-law (the free-range-pig farmer) might have some pulled pork for us for sandwiches for supper.

Nothing like the way my dad, a World War II vet, celebrated. He did Memorial Day in a big way. He'd put out the flag, and we'd walk down to Main Street to watch the parade. Then, he'd have a big barbecue with our relatives from both sides of the family. More than 30 people. They'd come from the city -- Niagara Falls/Buffalo -- to Attica for a day in "the country."

Dad would grill hamburgers and hot dogs and German sausages and make Beef on Wick. People would bring all kinds of salads and deserts. I really miss the potato salads. It's my favorite and neither my husband nor the kids like it. Mom would make jello with fruit salad, and someone would always bring jello with vegetables in it, which none of us "kids" would eat.

We'd take our cousins across the street to the creek and show them how to lift flat rocks and find crayfish. Sometimes, if it was hot enough, we'd walk further down the creek to the fishing hole and "accidentally" fall in. One year when I was in my early teens, a significantly older cousin (the banker) had traded in his well-used VW beetle for a Porsche. All of us older cousins wanted a ride in it. What could be cooler than riding through town in a Porsche with an attractive older guy? Hey, no one needed to know he was my cousin. I can't remember that I ever got that ride.

As the song goes, "Those were the days, my friend." So, what are you doing today?

Summoned as temporary guardian for her teenage niece, while her brother is deployed to the Middle East with his Reserve unit, Emily Hazard returns to Paradox Lake. On one condition—she won't let herself think about staying. Emily always felt like a misfit in her tiny hometown.

But she doesn't count on falling for handsome Drew Stacey, a former Wall Streeter who's getting the town church camp ready.

Now available as an eBook